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E36 (1991 - 1999) The E36 chassis 3-Series BMW was a huge hit among driving enthusiasts from the first moment the car hit the pavement. The E36 won numerous awards over the years it was produced and is still a favorite of many BMW enthusiasts to this day! -- View the E36 Wiki

Just picked one up on Saturday for cheap. It's high mileage (193K) but runs strong and has minimal rust. I want to turn it into a track toy and weekend cruiser. My plans are to strip it down, do some maintenance suspension stuff and do some amateur autocross and track day events.

Basically just wanted to introduce myself. I think I'll be on here a fair amount from now on. I'd love to hear from some members in the Michigan/Ontario area. I'll be traveling to and from quite a lot.

I guess my first mod will be a short throw shifter since the current shifter linkage is completely worn out and needs to be serviced anyways. I'm researching if I should do the M roadster or the UUC.

I wouldn't bother with one from the Z/M roadster. It'll be too similar to what came in the 328 from the factory. The UUC SSKs are very nice, but I think kits from Rogue Engineering are a better value when you factor in the cost of a weighted selector rod.

Otherwise, read all of the stickies at the top of the main E36 forum page. First thing to do with your car is (if it hasn't been done within the last 75k miles, or you don't know when the last time it was) is to replace the entire cooling system. I'm not kidding. Read up on it and you'll know why. I'd also look at your car very closely to make sure it doesn't have rust developing in the rear shock tower area or front strut tower area. That's a big issue with cars in the rust belt, and the problem is exacerbated further when stiffer suspensions are installed, etc.

The UUC is significantly more than the OEM, I'd try the OEM and see how you like it. If you want shorter, there's certainly a market for the OEM to resell it in good, low mileage condition. While I don't remember which shifter it was, my first E36 had a short shifter with the ZHP knob and it made all the difference compared to stock.

I wouldn't bother with one from the Z/M roadster. It'll be too similar to what came in the 328 from the factory. The UUC SSKs are very nice, but I think kits from Rogue Engineering are a better value when you factor in the cost of a weighted selector rod.

Otherwise, read all of the stickies at the top of the main E36 forum page. First thing to do with your car is (if it hasn't been done within the last 75k miles, or you don't know when the last time it was) is to replace the entire cooling system. I'm not kidding. Read up on it and you'll know why. I'd also look at your car very closely to make sure it doesn't have rust developing in the rear shock tower area or front strut tower area. That's a big issue with cars in the rust belt, and the problem is exacerbated further when stiffer suspensions are installed, etc.

I'll keep doing research on the shifter kits and try to find something for a deal. I think that will be the main deciding factor, otherwise I would keep it stock if it wasn't sloppy.

I am aware of the cooling problems. Apparently everything's been done not too long ago (but I don't know when), but I'm keeping a close eye on everything. This weekend I'll be lifting it up for a close inspection of the under body, and will probably post here with any findings.

Clutch delay valve? I'll have to read up on that.

I'm currently in Bloomfield Hills, but I'll be moving to Windsor in the spring.

The car is parked at my friend's and I've really only spent like an hour with it other than driving it 2.5 hours home, so I'm still finding things out about it. I spent most of our time today installing the low beam bulbs and investigating what I can do about the sticking hood latch. Then I noticed.... an aluminum rad. Pretty stocked about that. Is that the thermostat housing where the top hose is connected? in that case it's aluminum too.

There's rust at the front rad support, rear panel (above the bumper), and above both rear wheel wells. Otherwise it's pretty clean. Remember, I bought this cheap and aesthetics are the least of my worries. I'll be doing a thorough underbody inspection this weekend, and will post results.

Behr is the OE radiator and it's 160 @ Pelican, cheaper elsewhere. Anyone who pays dealer prices for that kind of thing is nuts. The Behr is the exact same thing as factory and comes out of the same production plant.